Miles Macquarrie’s “Here’s How” Cocktail Guide: The Old Fashioned

“The Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirit of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters… it is vulgarly called a bittered sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion.” -The Balance and Columbian Repository, Hudson, NY, 1806.

This brief history is the introduction to many cocktail how-to’s for the readers of Purge. I figured it would be best to start with a drink that represents the definition of the cocktail: The Old-Fashioned. This cocktail is a true example that simplicity and proper execution can be a beautiful, delicious thing.

The Old-Fashioned has gone through a lot of changes, and it is finally transitioning from bastardization to revitalization in a lot of bars and homes across the country. In some of the first cocktail books ever printed, this drink was simply known as a “Whiskey Cocktail.” It wasn’t until 1895, in George J. Kappler’s “Modern American Drinks”, did it show up as the “Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail.” During the mid to late 19th century, cocktails started getting “fancy” and “improved”, with dashes of absinthe, maraschino, and curacao being added and rims coated in sugar, as well as many bartenders getting creative due to new products like vermouth and dry gin becoming available. While all these fantastic innovations have led to some of the most amazing classic drinks that still stand the test of time, sometimes it’s nice to enjoy this American invention by its true, original definition.

Sometime after prohibition, the Old-Fashioned lost its way. It morphed into a muddled drink with cherries and oranges, and in some cases, topped with soda water. In even worse cases, it gets topped with Sprite or 7-up. Gross. The muddled cherry only adds some extra sweetness and a weird cherry carcass. While orange flavor pairs well with whiskey, the added pulp (and juice) can ruin the texture and take away the subtleties of the spirit from this classic masterpiece.

Thankfully, with the cocktail revival that is going down right now all around the world, you can get a great Old-Fashioned once again.

So… let’s forget about how Don Draper drinks his Old-Fashioned and pay homage to this great historical drink in our modern world.

Here’s how!

Pour 2oz of good bourbon or rye whiskey into a mixing glass

Add several dashes of bitters. (I like 2 dashes of angostura, 1 dash of orange bitters, and 1 dash of peychaud’s bitters)

Note… When adding bitters, don’t be scared. Add dashes, not drops.

Add 1 teaspoon of simple syrup (equal parts sugar dissolved in water)

Add ice to mixing glass and stir for about 20-30 seconds.

Strain into an Old Fashioned glass (See. This drink is so important, it even gets its own glass) over fresh ice.

Garnish with an orange peel and a lemon peel (express the oils onto the surface of the drink and then rub the peels on the rim of the glass).

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Tim Song